San Antonio Spurs 2021-22 Season Thread - Let's get this play-in shitshiw rolling

[LTtxfan 49986]

7 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

They did the coin filps and Spurs won the flip for Denver to pick 20, but lost the three way Philly/Milwaukee flip and got #25. So they have lottery pick TBD (probably #9), #20, #25 and #37 (second round).

I have some thoughts on this off season. Do we need an off season thread? Can we just continue in this one?

Thought 2nd Rd was #38 pick ??

[ztejas 44223]

10 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

So they have lottery pick TBD (probably #9), #20, #25 and #37 (second round).

I'm thinking two underdeveloped combo guards, a Euro stash, and a big white 23 year old with good fundamentals.

And I almost started an offseason thread yesterday - I don't care either way. 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18962]

11 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

Thought 2nd Rd was #38 pick ??

You're correct. #38.

[LTtxfan 49986]

Spurs: What Would a Perfect Draft Night Look Like?

By Cal Durrett        Apr 21, 2022

Jalen Duren / Joe Murphy/GettyImages

The 2022 NBA Draft is fast approaching, and the San Antonio Spurs have a lot riding on June 23rd. After all, the Spurs will have four picks in the draft: a projected 9th pick, plus 20th, 25th, and 38th overall, giving them the opportunity to add to an already talented group of young players.

Those picks also give San Antonio plenty of options, whether it be using them to trade up, or keeping all of their picks and using them to take chances on players with high ceilings. With that being said, let's take a look at the dream scenario for the Spurs in the 2022 Draft.

After acquiring Toronto and Boston's 1st round picks at the trade deadline, the general consensus among fans was that the Spurs may look to move up in the lottery. That would be great, but perhaps not as realistic as it might seem for a couple of reasons. One reason is that San Antonio is one of three teams in the top ten that has multiple firsts, with Houston and Oklahoma City being the others.

While the Spurs may be willing to trade up, neither would likely trade back for a collection of picks. The same almost certainly goes for the other teams in the top five who'd rather have the chance at selecting a star. That means that barring a jump into the top four in the draft lottery, the Spurs aren't likely to select Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, or Jaden Ivey, even in their dreams.

Who should the Spurs select?

There are several prospects deserving of being selected 9th overall, but of those players, Jalen Duren makes the most sense. This is the case even despite the Spurs already having Jakob Poeltl, who's one of the best centers in the league. That said, I believe that Duren can eventually be better, considering how good he is now. Plus, he's eight years younger than Poeltl.

Better yet, he could even help the Spurs next season, providing them with another stellar rim protector and rebounder, ensuring that one is on the floor at all times. He also has a fairly high offensive ceiling and can score in several ways, including by being a big lob threat and consistently getting easy second-chance points by dominating the offensive glass.

Duren even has a jumper that he uses when he faces up in the post to score, and that could eventually make him a pick and pop threat, particularly if paired with Dejounte Murray. Thus, Duren would make for a great long-term option at center if selected 9th by San Antonio while Poeltl would become expendable as he enters the final year of his contract.

With three other selections, I could see the Spurs keeping the 20th pick and dealing picks 25 and 38. Trading the 25th pick for another team's 2023 first and the 38th pick for two future second-rounders are certainly options, but so is combining them in a deal to acquire the 21st pick from the Nuggets. Were that to happen, San Antonio should choose E.J. Liddell and Nikola Jovic with back-to-back selections.

Liddell is a 21-year-old, 6'7, power forward who had a terrific season for Ohio State, averaging 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks. Liddell is a little on the small side for an NBA four, but he plays bigger than his height and can even score consistently in the post by facing up or using turnaround jumpers. He has perimeter skills too, connecting on 37.4% of his 3.8 3-point attempts, and is a physical driver, throwing his weight around on his way to the rim.

On the defensive end, he can guard on the perimeter, protect the paint and even hold his own in the post, making him very versatile. All of that makes him an excellent fit for San Antonio, who could use a two-way power forward who can pick and pop from three, drive, score in the paint, and defend multiple positions. In fact, he could theoretically start for the Spurs next season.

As for Jovic, he's an 18-year-old, 6’10, small forward who has repeatedly been projected to go to the Spurs in mock drafts. It makes sense when looking at the Spurs' history of drafting international players, and they should be enthralled with his ability to create shots, particularly in pick-and-roll situations.

That skill combined with his size makes him a distinctive player, but it's also difficult to project how good he could be. In the NBA, Jovic probably won't play with the ball in his hands as often. Despite that, he could still be very effective because he's an impressive shot-maker, knocking down pullups and step-back threes even with a hand in his face.

Those tough shots resulted in an underwhelming 3-point percentage, but he should be much more accurate when primarily spotting up or running off screens. Jovic should also prove effective attacking closeouts, given his ability to handle the ball. Plus, he'd still thrive in pick and rolls. The potential is definitely there for him to be an excellent offensive player.

Overall, although San Antonio may not be able to move up into the top five via trade, there are still a number of intriguing prospects including Duren, Liddell, and Jovic. They could all turn into very good players, and the Spurs are in a position to select each of them.

[Kermit 3162]

On 4/18/2022 at 4:18 PM, Mitch Cumsteen said:

They did the coin filps and Spurs won the flip for Denver to pick 20, but lost the three way Philly/Milwaukee flip and got #25. So they have lottery pick TBD (probably #9), #20, #25 and #37 (second round).

I have some thoughts on this off season. Do we need an off season thread? Can we just continue in this one?

Let’s do an off-season thread.

[Radical Larry 28819]

Hornets fired Borrego. I wonder if he comes back to replace Becky.

[SilasCoade 2622]

Lol. Yeah the coach is the issue in Charlotte.

[LTtxfan 49986]

Way to go Patty !!!

 

Patty Mills wins NBA Sportsmanship Award

AAP          5:20 PM CT

Australian basketball superstar Patty Mills has been honoured with one of the NBA's most coveted trophies, as winner of its 2021-22 Sportsmanship Award.

The Brooklyn Nets guard has been given the NBA's Joe Dumars Trophy, the trophy which salutes the player who is voted by his colleagues as best representing the ideals of sportsmanship on the court.

The 33-year-old Boomers star earned 58 first-place votes and 1,975 total points in the balloting of his fellow players, the NBA announced on Friday.

After he'd been short-listed for the award, his Nets' teammate Kevin Durant had summed up the widespread feelings about Mills when he said: "Patty puts in the work every day to be the player he is and he respects his opponents too. That is the sign of a true sportsman."

Denver's Jeff Green (60 first-place votes, 1,841 points) was the runner-up in the voting, while Miami's Bam Adebayo (38 and 1,776) finished third.

Mills won from a select 30-man shortlist - one from each NBA team, selected by a panel of league executives - but it was the players themselves who got to decide the winner through confidential balloting.

The 13-year NBA veteran will be also be presented with a special edition 75th Anniversary commemorative trophy today in celebration of the honour.

In the 2021-22 regular season, Mills averaged 11.4 points and 2.3 assists in 29.0 minutes in 81 games with the Nets, who signed him as a free agent in August 2021.

Patty Mills has enjoyed a stellar season after moving from the Spurs to the Nets Sarah Stier/Getty Images

The former championship winner with San Antonio was ranked 11th in the league in three-pointers made (227) and 25th in three-point field goal percentage (40.0) - and he wasn't assessed a technical foul all season.

Indeed, he's only been assessed two technical fouls in 820 career regular-season games, with no technical fouls in 11 of his 13 seasons.

The trophy is named after Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Joe Dumars, a six-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA champion. Dumars played 14 NBA seasons and won the inaugural Sportsmanship Award in the 1995-96 season.

The award marks yet another accolade for Mills after a remarkable 2021 ended with him winning the Don Award to honour the Australian athlete who'd most inspired the nation during the year.

It followed his heroics in helping the Boomers win their first Olympic basketball medal in Tokyo, while he also became the first Indigenous Australian to carry the flag into a Games opening ceremony.

[Kermit 3162]

Just kidding. Congratulations Patty.